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Bold Embroidered Clutch with Bamboo Handles

Bold Embroidered Clutch with Bamboo Handles

Carry your necessities in style with this Big & Bold Bamboo Clutch.


Slim and elegant in in appearance, this bag will hold all of your essentials. Customize your own by using your favorite embroidery designs and coordinating fabrics.

Read below for these free project instructions!

Supplies & Materials:

- 2 1/2 yards medium weight fusible interfacing (15 inches wide)

- 5/8 inch snaps and snap tool

- Two 13 inch lengths of 1/2 inch thick bamboo

- 20lb hemp cord

- 6 1/2 inch round plastic lid or hand embroidery hoop

- Large piece of paper or tag board (for bottom piece pattern)

- Small hand saw

- 1 yard brocade fabric (for outer shell and inner lining)

- 1/2 yard print canvas (for outer shell and inner lining)

- Medium weight cutaway stabilizer

- Air-erase pen (or other marking tool)

-Temporary spray adhesive

- Stone embellishments (option

- Needle and thread for some hand sewing

The designs used in this tutorial include:

- Ikebana

Finished size:
18 inches wide by 10 inches high by 6 1/2 inches deep

First we will prepare the fabric for the middle panels of the outer shell (these will be the embroidered panels). On the print canvas, draw two 8 inch wide by 9 inch high rectangles, leaving a few inches of excess fabric around the shapes. Then, using an air-erase pen (or other marking tool), measure and mark the center of each side of the shape by taking the distance and dividing by two. Draw lines to connect the center marks. Where the lines meet is the center of the shape.

Square piece of yellow fabric with a leafy pattern is laid flat on a wooden surface. A hand holds a pen drawing rectangular lines on the fabric.

Create a paper template of the design by printing it at full size. If you are unable to print, you can cut a piece of paper the shape and dimensions of the design to help with placement and centering.

Poke a hole in the center of the template and align it with the center point on the fabric. Make sure the design fits well within the shape. There should be at least 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches of space between the edges of the design and the edges of the shape.

Hand resting on a mustard yellow fabric square with a leaf pattern, holding a smaller white card with a floral embroidery design of purple flowers, stems, and leaves.

Spray a piece of cutaway stabilizer with temporary adhesive and smooth the fabric on top. Hoop the fabric and stabilizer together by aligning the marks on the hoop with the lines on the fabric.

Rectangular embroidery hoop holding mustard yellow fabric with a subtle leaf pattern, placed on a wooden table; a hand with a ring adjusts the fabric.

Attach the hoop to the machine and load the design. Move the hoop so that the needle is directly over the center point on the fabric. Embroider the design.

Embroidery machine stitching a colorful floral design on mustard yellow fabric with a subtle leaf pattern, held in a white hoop.

When the design has finished, trim away the excess stabilizer on the back of the embroidery. Repeat the hooping and embroidering process for the second middle panel.

Hand cutting white stabilizer away from embroidered lilac flowers and green leaves on white fabric, placed on light yellow patterned fabric background.

To prepare the fabric for the side panels of the outer shell, cut four pieces of the brocade fabric 8 inches wide by 12 1/2 inches high.

Black fabric with colorful floral embroidery in yellow, purple, blue, pink, and green, laid out on a wood table with orange-handled scissors.

Cut out the shapes of the middle embroidered panels.

Hand holding orange scissors cutting yellow fabric with purple flower embroidery; second embroidered fabric piece in background on a dark wood surface.

It is time now to begin assembling the outer shell. Lay one of the brocade side panels right side up and align one of the middle embroidered panels on top, right sides facing, with the bottom edge of the middle panel aligned with the bottom edge of the side panel. Pin in place along the right side only. Sew a 1/2 inch seam along the pinned edge.

Hand holding a partially embroidered fabric piece with floral stems and leaves over a black fabric with gold and pink floral patterns, on a wooden surface.

Lay another side panel right side up. Then, lay the middle panel on top, right sides together, with the bottom edge of the middle panel aligned with the bottom edge of the side panel (lay the first side panel off to the right). Pin along the left edge only and sew a 1/2 inch seam along the pinned edge.

A hand with a silver ring adjusts lace overlay on a patchwork fabric with a central embroidered floral design and patterned strips pinned to a wooden surface.

Lay the fabric flat and press the back seams open with an iron. Be sure to have the iron on a low setting.

Close-up of a hand using a dry steam iron on a yellow fabric square with an embroidered patch of purple flowers and green leaves, on a blue surface.

Also, fold the inner raw edges of the side panels over 1/2 inch and press in place.

Close-up of an iron pressing the seam of colorful quilt blocks with floral and geometric patterns on a light blue ironing surface.

Now, top stitch a 1/8 inch seam along the center seams of the panels (on the side panel fabric). 

Repeat the assembly process for the remaining middle and side panels to create two separate sides of the outer shell.


Close-up of a sewing machine stitching two fabric pieces: one yellow with a subtle pattern and one black with light floral embroidery.

Lay the outer shells on top of the medium weight fusible interfacing and cut out the shape, leaving about one inch of excess around the edges. Then, secure the interfacing in place by pressing with an iron and pressing cloth (refer to the instructions that came with the interfacing).

Close-up of a hand using a steam iron on a light green fabric next to a yellow embroidered fabric panel with purple flowers and green leaves on a floral quilted background.


Trim away the excess interfacing. 

Now we will prepare the side pieces for the inner lining. Lay the brocade fabric wrong side up. Lay the outer shell side pieces on top, pin in place, trace, and cut out the pieces. Add medium weight interfacing to the backside of the fabric as you did earlier and set the pieces aside.

Hand holding orange scissors cutting black fabric with colorful floral embroidery patterns next to yellow fabric with pink and green floral embroidery on a white background.

Align the outer shell sides with the right sides facing and pin in place. Sew a 1/2 inch seam along the sides only. Then, press the seams flat on the backside of the fabric.

Pieces of fabric laid out on a wooden table with pins, including light blue, beige, yellow textured, and dark fabric with floral embroidery being held by a hand.

We will now prepare the pattern piece for the bottom of the purse. Cut a piece of paper or tag board 12 1/2 inches wide by 6 1/2 inches high.

Orange-handled scissors cutting a plain rectangular sheet of white paper on a dark wood grain table.

Then, position a 6 1/2 inch diameter plastic lid or hand embroidery hoop at each end and trace along the outside edges.

Top view of an empty wooden embroidery hoop placed on a white sheet of paper on a dark wood table, with a hand holding a pen near the right edge.

Cut along the lines to round off the pattern piece.

Hand cutting a rounded shape from white cardstock with orange scissors on a dark wood grain table.

To prepare the fabric for the bottom of the clutch. Cut two pieces of the print canvas by pinning the pattern piece in place, tracing it, and cutting out the shapes. 

Add medium weight interfacing to the back of the one of the pieces as you did in previous steps. This piece will be used for the inner lining.

Hand holding orange scissors cutting narrow strip from curved beige fabric with a subtle floral pattern on a dark wood surface.

Lay the bottom piece (without the interfacing) flat with the wrong side up. Draw a line down the center of the fabric lengthwise by measuring the height on both ends (just before the curves) and dividing by two. Then, draw a line to connect the marks - these marks will be used to align the bottom piece with the outer shell side pieces

Oval fabric piece with yellow floral pattern lies flat on a wooden table. A metal ruler and a white marker pen rest on the fabric.

With the outer shell pieces turned wrong side out, align the bottom piece with one of the side seams, right sides together, and pin in place.


Hand holding a yellow fabric piece with a pin, positioned inside a partially open, embroidered bag with floral patterns on a wooden surface.

Sew a 1/2 inch seam around the entire shape.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching together two layers of fabric, one beige with a yellowish floral pattern and the other dark with green and brown embroidery.

Cut slits in the seam allowance around the curved edges of the bottom, be careful to not cut the seam. Turn the outer shell right side out and press the bottom seams.

Close-up of a hand holding orange-handled scissors trimming seam allowance on a yellow patterned fabric piece with black and floral fabric edges.

Now we will assemble the inner lining. Align the inner lining (brocade fabric) side pieces together, right sides facing, and pin in place. Sew a 1/2 inch seam along the sides only and press the seams.

Hand holding partially folded fabric with black floral pattern underneath a paper sewing pattern pinned on top, on a wooden surface.

Draw a center line on the inner lining bottom piece (print canvas with interfacing) and align it with the side seam of the inner lining side piece, right sides facing (keep the side piece turned wrong side out). Sew a 1/2 inch seam around the entire shape just as you did with the outer shell.

Hand holding white paper pattern pinned to black fabric with multicolored floral and bird embroidery, on wooden table background.

Insert the outer shell inside the inner lining with the right sides facing. Align the top edges together and pin in place. Sew a 1/2 inch seam around the top edges leaving a 7 inch hole on one of the sides for turning.

Hand holding a piece of gray paper or fabric pinned with green and yellow-headed pins to a larger piece of similar material, on a wooden surface.

Trim the inner top corners of the seam allowance and cut slits in the inner corners.


Close-up of a hand cutting a diagonal slit along a drawn yellow line on white fabric with orange-handled scissors, on a wooden surface. Small fabric scraps are scattered.

Turn the purse right side out and push out the corners with the end of a pen. Then, press the top seams. 

Turn the open top edge in 1/2 inch and press. Top stitch a 1/4 inch seam around the entire top edge of the purse.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching two pieces of fabric together; one fabric is mustard yellow with pink floral embroidery, the other black with multicolored floral and circular patterns.

Add snaps to the inner top corners about one inch from the points of the top corners.

Close-up of a hand using blue-handled scissors to cut black fabric embroidered with colorful floral patterns in purple, gold, green, and white on a table.

To prepare the handles, cut two 13 inch lengths of bamboo using a small handsaw.

Two dark wooden bamboo handles and a yellow-handled saw with a black blade rest on a brown wood grain table surface.

Use a needle and thread to sew the bamboo in place - align the bamboo with the snaps and sew them in place about one inch from the snaps on the outside of the bag.

Hand holding open a black fabric clutch with floral embroidery in purple, yellow, and green tones, attached to dark bamboo handles on a light surface.

We tied on stone embellishments using hemp cord. Wrap the cord around the bamboo and tie it in place to cover the thread and create a decorative look.

Hand holding a decorative round tiger's eye stone charm tied with twine to dark bamboo handle of a black fabric bag embroidered with colorful flowers.